1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic equipment, such as a video camera device employing a recording medium accommodating a solid memory element and, more particularly, to a loading unit having a recording medium detachably loaded thereon.
2. Description of Prior Art
As a recording medium for a video camera for recording video signals or an audio recording apparatus for recording audio signals, there is employed a memory device having enclosed therein a solid memory element.
If this sort of the memory member is used in an information recording apparatus, such as a video camera, it is used as an auxiliary recording medium for a tape cartridge or a disc cartridge having a large recording capacity.
The video camera, employing this memory member along with the tape cartridge, is provided not only with a cartridge loading unit on which to load the tape cartridge, but also with a memory loading unit on which to load the memory member. This video camera includes a recording and/or reproducing unit for recording and/or reproducing the information on or from a tape cartridge and a memory member, a cartridge holder adapted for movement between a cartridge loading/unloading position for holding and loading/unloading the tape cartridge and a cartridge loading position enabling recording and/or reproduction of the information on or from the tape cartridge, and a memory loading mechanism for detachably holding the memory member. The memory loading unit, provided on the video camera, is provided on a main body unit of the video camera or on a casing adapted for covering the main body unit. The memory loading unit includes a memory inserting/ejecting opening, via which to insert or eject the memory member, and a memory housing portion in which to accommodate the memory member inserted via the memory inserting/ejecting opening. The memory loading unit includes a terminal portion, to which is connected a terminal of the memory member to be loaded, and an ejection lever for ejecting the memory member housed and loaded in the memory housing portion from the memory insertion/ejection opening.
The above-described video camera records the video information and the audio information on a tape cartridge at the time of imaging to record the picture information of e.g., a still picture on the memory member. The memory member, housed in the memory housing unit, is ejected from the memory insertion/ejection opening on actuating an ejection lever.
With the memory loading unit, provided on a video camera, the memory member is forcibly disconnected from the terminal member if the operation of ejecting the memory member from the inside of the memory housing unit is performed during the recording of the information on the memory member, so that the recording processing is interrupted in the course of the recording processing of information signals on the memory member.
If the recording processing on the memory member is interrupted, the information previously recorded thereon is destroyed to render it impossible to correctly record the information signals.
On the other hand, the memory loading unit, provided on the video camera, is poor in the degree of freedom in casing shape designing because the memory insertion/ejection opening of the memory holder needs to face the outside of the casing to enable the memory member to be inserted into or ejected from the insertion/ejection opening.